I bought a Bernina off E-Bay. Made sure I asked all questions beforehand and checked feedback (100%). I feel I got a good deal....no problems. But I have to pay for the Bernina classes at the LQS, and they are kind of expensive. If you purchase one from your LQS, they give you the classes for free and probably throw in a 30 day warranty also. So if I could get the sewing machine from my LQS for not much over what I could get one on E-bay, I would do that, although my E-bay experience was a good one. You just need to weigh the options. If you don't need classes (say you've owned a Bernina before), then I wouldn't hesitate purchasing off E-bay, after checking out seller.